Coordinating towards higher values

Free Liberal identity

Bit by bit, we are preparing a reboot of the Free Liberal site, which will include more meaningful navigation and other improvements. This has involved lengthy discussion of the site’s goals, vision, and clarifying the free liberal identity. Here are some shots of the new logo that we shall roll out with the new site design:

We wanted a logo mark that presents Free Liberal as a magazine, while communicating something of free liberal personality. Originally I had something plainer in mind akin to the old logo, but Bob Capozzi wanted the Free Liberal to “arise from a quagmire of other ideologies,” and Carl Milsted wanted to project connection to nature along with “fun, free spirited liberalism”. Using a goose in the logo was originally suggested by Carl:

In T. H. Whites The Once and Future King, Merlin polymorphs the young Arthur into several different animals in order to gain wisdom. The most positive one is the lesson of the Geese: no borders. King Arthur thinks back to that lesson as he reflects on his life and what he could have done better.

Kevin liked the idea, saying that the goose in flight also hints at liberty, community and the balance between them that is vital to the free liberal outlook. We also talked about the correlation between flying in formation and the liberal ideals of individualism and spontaneous order: the geese coordinate flow without any kind of central command.

“Lizard tails” are problems created by attempting to hide a problem from our view without actually changing the constraints that we face. The lizard tails must then be hidden by another cosmetic reform, which itself creates real problems.

"Being a superpower is expensive. Its not something we 'earn' or 'deserve' or are given by God. We actually have to pay for it. It costs billions in foreign aid, military and intelligence operations."